what is the best way to grow spring onions in containers any help will be appericiated

In article ,
echinosum wrote:

coykiesaol;914418 Wrote:
I was cutting up a tomato earlier and just wondered if it is possible to
grow a tomato plant from the seed within the tomato. If so, how would I
go about this and would I be too late for a crop this year? Thanks as
always.
Tomato plants are easily grown from seed, especially with the assistance
of a heated propagator to germinate them. Google will find you
instructions suitable for the area you live in. In climates with frosty
winters, we sow the seeds indoors about 6 weeks before it is safe to put
the plants out, which is once all risk of frost is well past. Though if
you have a greenhouse, then you have a wider range of options.

But I would not in general suggest taking seeds out of a tomato you
bought in the shop, because many of them are hybrids and won't breed
true, and might not have ripened sufficiently on the plant to be good
seed. You'd do better to go to a seed seller and get tomato seed of
varieties suitable for home cultivation in the area you live in.
Not only may they be hybrids that won't come true from seeds, but they
probably were developed for toughness, for shipping, and length of shelf
life, instead of flavor.

But if you want to try taking seeds out of a tomato, etc, then this seed
seller is pleased to tell you how to do it. 'Great Vegetable Seeds from
The Real Seed Catalogue' (http://www.realseeds.co.uk/index.html)

Another very useful book is called Seed to Seed.


Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners
by Suzanne Ashworth and Kent Whealy
http://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-T...rdeners/dp/188
2424581/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1299602700&sr=1-1
(Available at better libraries near you.)

SEED PRODUCTION, HARVEST
AND PROCESSING

Tomatoes used for paste and slicing are particu-
larly easy for seed saving. The seeds can be saved
and the fruit can be eaten or processed without any
waste. Pick and wash fully ripe tomatoes, and then
cut the fruits across the middle, not through the stem
and blossom ends. This exposes the large seed cavi-
ties and makes the seeds accessible without mashing
the fruit. Now squeeze the seeds and surrounding gel
into a bowl or bucket.

The same process can be used for cherry and cur-
rant tomatoes, however grinding the fruits is far easier.
Place the clean, fully ripe fruits in a blender or a food
processor fitted with a metal blade. Process at low
speed until all of the fruits are mashed and the mix-
ture is very thick. The small, hard seeds will not be
damaged. To aid in seed separation, add one cup of
water to each cup of mashed fruit and stir.


Each tomato seed is encased in a gelatinous sack.
The gel in these sacks contains chemicals that inhibit
seed germination, which prevents the seeds from
sprouting inside the wet flesh of the tomato. In na-
ture the ripe tomatoes fall from the plant and slowly
rot. The rotting away of the fruits is a natural fer-
mentation process during which the gel sacks are de-
stroyed. Eventually the fruits totally rot away leav-
ing the seeds on the surface of the soil, ready to ger-
minate when conditions are" right.

Artificially duplicating the tomato fruit's fermen-
tation process is not difficult. In addition to remov-
ing the gel sack, fermentation also kills many seed-
borne tomato diseases. The container of tomato seeds
and gel should be set aside to ferment for one to three
days. Fermentation will proceed more quickly as the
daytime temperatures increase.

During this period the container of seeds will be-
gin to stink and will become covered with a layer of
white or gray mold. Because of the horrible smell,
do not keep the bowl in the house or where it might
be tipped over by animals or children. The fermenta-
tion process should be stopped when the layer of mold
completely covers its surface. Be sure to monitor the
process closely because, if allowed to continue too long,
the seeds will begin to germinate in the mixture.

Add enough water to double the mixture and then
stir it vigorously. The good seeds will settle to the bot-
tom of the container, allowing the mold and debris and
hollow seeds to be poured off. Add more water and
repeat the process until only clean seeds remain.

Some growers prefer to pour the entire contents
of the container into a strainer, without adding any
water, and then wash under running water, make a
fist and use the fronts of your fingers to rub the mod
and softened debris through the screen. Wipe the bot-
tom of the strainer on a towel to remove as much mois-
ture as possible and dump the seeds out on a glass or
ceramic dish to dry. Do not attempt to dry the seeds
on soft paper or cloth or non-rigid plastic, as it is ex-
tremely difficult to remove the seeds from these sur-
faces. Coffee filters, which are inexpensive to pur-
chase, reportedly work well and tend to wick the
moisture away from the seeds during drying.

To ensure even drying and to prevent the seeds
from bunching together, stir at least twice a day. Never
dry seeds in direct sunlight or in an oven. Tomato seeds
will begin to germinate if not dried quickly. In hot hu-
mid weather, a fan will help speed the drying process.

SEED STATISTICS

Tomato seeds will remain viable for 4-10 years
depending on the variety and storage conditions.
Completely dried seeds should be sealed in an air-
tight container and stored in a cool, dry area or fro-
zen for long-term storage. Members of the Seed Sav-
ers Exchange annually offer about 3,200 varieties of
tomatoes, and the Garden Seed Inventory lists sources
for 1,080 varieties that are available from commer-
cial seed companies. There are approximately 8,400
seeds per ounce (300 per gram or 135,000 per pound),
depending on the variety. Federal Germination Stan-
dard for commercially sold tomato seed is 75%.

GROWING TOMATOES FROM SEED

Tomatoes are short-lived perennial plants grown
as annuals. Tomato plants are typically started in a
greenhouse 6-8 weeks before the last average frost
date, in order to ensure an early harvest. The plants
are set out when the weather is stable and the soil is
warmed. Tomatoes can also be direct seeded in long
season climates, covering the seeds .25" deep. The
seeds germinate at temperatures ranging from 75-95°
F. with germination usually occurring in 5-7 days in
greenhouse conditions. Germination is greatly en-

Solanaceae 158

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--
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2011/3/7/michael_moore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZkDikRLQrw

Of course it's possible to grow tomatoes from seed saved.
It is important to make sure that you're growing heirloom tomatoes as
opposed to hybrids. Last year I grew 4 or 5 heirloom varieties (Black Krim,
Black from Tula, Czech's Excellent Yellow, Risentraub, German Pink) from
seed I bought from Seed Savers Exchange. I had excellent production, and
saved the seeds from the biggest and best of all varieties. It isn't rocket
science to save seed, and you don't need to go through all the machinations
listed by some others. Simply remove the seeds and put them in a glass of
water for a few days, then sieve the seeds in running water to remove the
gelatinous outer coating, then simply separate the seeds and dry them on a
paper towel. I used the seeds I saved this year to start my tom's. I had
100% germination. I started them in the house on a heat mat in January,
then moved them to the (heated) greenhouse in February. They are fine, and
about to go into larger pots. Our last average freeze date here in Texas is
about March 21st. I would give it a try. What's to loose?

"echinosum" wrote in message
...

coykiesaol;914418 Wrote:
I was cutting up a tomato earlier and just wondered if it is possible to
grow a tomato plant from the seed within the tomato. If so, how would I
go about this and would I be too late for a crop this year? Thanks as
always.
Tomato plants are easily grown from seed, especially with the assistance
of a heated propagator to germinate them. Google will find you
instructions suitable for the area you live in. In climates with frosty
winters, we sow the seeds indoors about 6 weeks before it is safe to put
the plants out, which is once all risk of frost is well past. Though if
you have a greenhouse, then you have a wider range of options.

But I would not in general suggest taking seeds out of a tomato you
bought in the shop, because many of them are hybrids and won't breed
true, and might not have ripened sufficiently on the plant to be good
seed. You'd do better to go to a seed seller and get tomato seed of
varieties suitable for home cultivation in the area you live in.

But if you want to try taking seeds out of a tomato, etc, then this seed
seller is pleased to tell you how to do it. 'Great Vegetable Seeds from
The Real Seed Catalogue' (http://www.realseeds.co.uk/index.html)




--
echinosum